Child Development of the 2-3 year old

Behavior

♥ Sharing is difficult
♥ Develops a social interest in friendships
♥ Demanding independence increases greatly – testing boundaries is common
♥ Enjoys helping others with chores
♥ Ability to fully understand, remember, and follow rules is inconsistent
♥ Impulsive thoughts and actions are frequently seen.
For example, a lack of self-control, lack of insight into consequences associated with behaviors, and a hard time keeping their hands to themselves.
♥ Initiates play on their own
♥ Uses aggressive behavior to show anger
♥ Participates in group play
♥ Regularly gives hugs and kisses to express affection and appreciation
♥ Frequently will do silly things while playing including doing things wrong on purpose
♥ Temper tantrums are to be expected

Intellectual

♥ Understands approximately 50% of spoken native language
♥ Uses pretend play
♥ Has the ability to respond to adult verbal requests
♥ Can match pictures to objects
♥ Imitates what they see adults doing
♥ Begins to form sentences of approximately three words
♥ Understanding cause and effect starts to improve with simple life events such as “I am thirsty, I want a drink.”
♥ Learns by doing
♥ Is able to made a decision when presented with choices
♥ Accurately reads body language to determine the feelings and emotions of others
♥ Asks for what they want
♥ Identifies personal gender